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Passengers Terrified After Engine Cover Falls Off Plane During Frontier Airlines Flight
It was a terrifying moment for passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight when the plane’s engine cover fell off during their trip. Passengers were traveling from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, to Tampa, Florida Friday morning.
The plane took off at 7:12 a.m. local time before pilots turned the aircraft around for an emergency landing at approximately 7:27 a.m. No injuries were reported on Flight 260, which had 171 passengers and six crew members aboard, according to USA Today.
Passenger CJ Gunnerson shared a photo of the damage with his friend Brandon Rittiman, a television reporter for ABC10 in Sacramento, California. Rittiman shared it on Twitter and quoted Gunnerson as saying passengers were “jumping up screaming, slamming on the roof. Yelling stop.”
So, my hockey buddy CJ Gunnerson took this pic out his window today.
His @FlyFrontier flight had to make an emergency landing at Vegas.
"The hatch came up and ripped off during take off," he tells me.
People were "jumping up screaming, slamming on the roof. Yelling stop."@ABC10 pic.twitter.com/d2LEpdD6p6— Brandon Rittiman (@BrandonRittiman) November 30, 2018
Frontier Airlines spokeswoman Allison Redmon told USA Today that a section of the engine cover, called a cowling, came loose and separated from the plane.
A statement from Frontier Airlines reads: “During takeoff on Frontier flight 260 from Las Vegas to Tampa this morning, a section of an engine cover called a cowling came loose and separated from the aircraft. Our pilots followed procedure and immediately returned to the airport. The engine continued to operate normally and the aircraft, an Airbus 320, landed safely. Safety is our top priority at Frontier Airlines and we would like to acknowledge the professionalism of our pilots and flight attendants. We are working to get our passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.”
Another television personality, Dan Ponce, an anchor from WGN-TV in Chicago, said his aunt was also on the flight. “My aunt snapped this pic of a shredded engine on Frontier flight 260 from Vegas to Tampa,” Ponce stated. “The plane was able to turn around and land. She says all passengers got a free breakfast voucher.”
WHOA! My aunt snapped this pic of a shredded engine on Frontier flight 260 from Vegas to Tampa. The plane was able to turn around and land. She says all passengers got a free breakfast voucher. pic.twitter.com/vc4t4uxMmh
— Dan Ponce (@DanPonceTV) November 30, 2018
According to USA Today, passengers were also given a refund and a $500 voucher for a future Frontier flight.